Camp Staff

Mollie Cameron has been around Camp Ronald McDonald for Good Times her whole life! Both of her parents were counselors so she grew up coming up for Work Weekends and in 2016 started her time as a volunteer. Since then, Mollie has been seasonal staff twice and been a captain for the Walk for Kids Counselor team.

Mollie was born and raised in Southern California and studied Political Science and Peace Studies for her undergraduate degree. She is currently pursuing a Masters in Public Administration and looks forward to continuing her career in non-profit work. Prior to coming to work for camp she spent a year working in development at San Diego State University. Mollie is eager and excited to continue her involvement with camp and considers being a part of Camp's full-time staff a dream job! Outside of work Mollie enjoys hanging out with her two big dogs, Jack and Kai, listening to podcasts, and taking a swim in the ocean! 

Chad has been the Program Director for Camp since joining the organization in 2005. Chad’s arrival at Camp Ronald McDonald didn’t follow the “typical” Camp career path.   Chad was born and raised in Carrollton, GA. He attended the University of Georgia where he graduated with a B.S. in Computer Science and a B.A. in Political Science.Upon graduation, Chad went to work for the Department of Defense at the Naval Surface Warfare Center in Dahlgren, VA. His work for the DOD took him to Kirkland Airforce Base in Albuquerque, NM for a year where he initially learned of Camp Ronald McDonald. Chad volunteered for the first time as a counselor at Camp in 2002, fell in love with the community, and continued to volunteer until offered a full-time job with Camp in 2005.

As Program Director, Chad currently oversees all aspects of the Camp Programs including camper recruitment & relations; volunteer recruitment, hiring, & training; and program creation & execution. Chad is involved in the American Camp Association (ACA) serving on the Local Council of Leaders for the Southern California / Hawaii region as the Professional Development Chair, a Standards visitor for ACA, and an instructor for the ACA New Director Orientation class. Chad’s love for being in the mountains and in nature is only exceeded by the love he has for his wife, Mel, whom he first met while both were volunteering at Camp!

Shannon started with Camp as a volunteer 10 years ago and worked three summers as a Seasonal Staff member. She joined the full-time staff in 2017 as our Program Associate. In addition to helping implement the current Camp programs, Shannon is growing  our year-round Wilderness Outdoor Leadership Program (WOLP) and our Alumni Development program.  Shannon comes to Camp Ronald McDonald for Good Times with a background in camping and youth development. She spent 7 years working with the YMCA Camps Tulequoia and Sequoia Lake, including two years as Youth Camp Director at Sequoia Lake.  Through her time with the Y and Camp Ronald McDonald, Shannon has developed an extensive skill set in camping and a passion for youth development, particularly in the area of teen programming. In addition, Shannon is soon to be become a standard and accrediation visitor with the American Camp Association. Shannon enjoys escaping to Three Rivers, CA to spend time with her niece & nephew, playing Disc Golf and coaching gymnastics.

Michelle joins us with a background in nonprofit services including community organizing, resource development, and program facilitation. Her event management experiences include planning national conferences, workshops, support groups, galas, holiday celebrations and other corporate and special events.

Her personal and professional pursuits have always been aligned with Camp’s mission of providing care, support, and hope to children, youth and families. She is passionate about advocating self-love, building resilience, and cultivating confidence through community and connection. Michelle holds a close place in her heart for those who have been impacted by trauma. Her desire to offer support and create change in the world has led her to pursue a B.A. in Child Development, a Master’s in Social Work, a Post-Graduate Certificate in Nonprofit Management, and to become a Certified Life Coach Practitioner. Throughout her life, Michelle has enjoyed investing her time working with organizations such as Shriner’s Hospital for Children, Phoenix Society for Burn Survivors, and other varying nonprofit organizations. From planning events, work with marketing teams, public speaking, and working directly with families, she is now excited to share and invest her time with Camp Ronald McDonald for Good Times!

Elias started his Ronald McDonald House Charities journey by volunteering at Camp each Spring with the University of Redlands Football Team from 2016-2019. From there he served as summer facility staff in 2019 & 2022 becoming a full-time staff member in September 2022 as our Operations Associate – Facilities on the Campgrounds.

Elias was born and raised in Santa Monica, California where he spent most of his time enjoying the beach and playing Football. He played Football since he was 7 years old and eventually worked his way to playing at the collegiate level for the University of Redlands. He graduated from the University in 2020 with a BA in Psychology. He is an avid sports fan spending most of his time watching basketball where he shows true to his hometown team the Los Angeles Lakers. He has settled into Camp life where he looks forward to his time and actively pursuing new adventures with RMHCSC, even earning himself the camp nickname of “Crouton.”

Mark joined the team in 2015 and is currently our Operation Associate for Facilities. He works to ensure our campsite grounds and facilities provide a safe, comfortable and caring experience for our campers and guests. Born and raised in Michigan, He has worked as a General Manager for Chipotle and Habit Burger. Mark is a sports fan, his favorite being football, and the Michigan State Spartans. Mark loves spending time with his daughter and all her adventures. He also enjoys collecting sports cards.

Born and raised in the San Fernando Valley, Waldemar “Wally” Quijano is a proud product of LAUSD public schooling. Being the first generation born and first in his family to attend and graduate University, he has had to work hard to succeed. He graduated from California State University Northridge with a bachelor’s degree in Music Education.  In fact, music is one of Wally’s deep passions.  One of the proudest moments in his musical career was leading the LAUSD All City Honor Marching Band in the 2009 Rose Parade.

While in school he worked for Keep Youth Doing Something (“KYDS”), a local non-profit that provides afterschool programming to at-risk youth in LAUSD. As a KYDS Site Manager for his Alma Mater, Arleta High School, he focused on providing quality programming to his students. From teaching music to establishing courses that were diverse. His central focus was to also create a safe place where students from all backgrounds could come in and further their education and self-expression.

In tandem with working at KYDS, he became a Volunteer Counselor with Camp Ronald McDonald for Good Times (“Camp”) in 2013. Soon after, Wally decided to take on a more supportive role and became a Unit Director to help guide and aide counselors at Camp. Wanting to learn and help more, he continued to expand his learning by also training in Camp’s adventure course.  Wally is overjoyed to now work full time as Camp Ronald McDonald’s Administrative Coordinator and aims to take his years of experience both in and outside of the Camp community to support and grow Camp’s ever-evolving priorities to meet our mission.

Samantha Solis graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles with a Bachelor of Science degree in Human Biology and Society with an emphasis in Medicine and Public Health. While completing her undergraduate degree, Samantha received the opportunity to Intern for Camp, where she assisted and learned from Camp’s Social Media, Development, and Event Team. Having the experience of being an Intern and volunteer for Camp was a pivotal experience for her. It ignited her love for Camp and sparked her interest in non-profit work.

Samantha is overjoyed to continue and expand her involvement in Camp. She is grateful to be given the opportunity to start her professional career with such an incredible organization. In her spare time, Samantha enjoys spending time outdoors with her family and friends, reading, and trying different local coffee shops.

Marlene Stang was born and raised in the San Gabriel Valley, where she still lives and enjoys its rich history and cultural diversity.  She graduated from Ramona Convent Secondary School in Alhambra, and earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in History/Art History from the University of California Los Angeles.  Over the course of her post-graduate professional life, she has cultivated a passion for service and communication, applying her diverse skill sets to the fields of public relations, journalism, fragrance development, marketing, and fundraising. 

She believes that her journey into philanthropy truly began at age 18, when she became the committed donor of a then small but now world-renowned animal rescue organization.  She began honing her skills as a fundraiser, however, at Proyecto Pastoral - a Boyle Heights-based community non-profit where she served as the Development Officer for nearly six years.  While there, she participated in all fundraising activities with a primary role of researching, writing, and overseeing the submission of grants to government, foundation and corporate funders nationwide.  These included the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles, the Los Angeles Unified School District, the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, and the AT&T Aspire program - a key funder of the Promesa Boyle Heights community-school model that is playing a vital role in improving the area’s graduation rates.  Most recently, she has served as a Grant Writer at ChapCare, a Federally Qualified Health Center that provides high-quality medical care and support services to under- and uninsured men, women, and children at eight health centers across the San Gabriel Valley.

As a cancer survivor herself, Marlene is motivated by Camp’s mission to give children with cancer and their siblings an enriching, inspired place at which they can have fun, explore their environment, and realize their strength and potential amidst whatever challenges they face.  In her spare time, she enjoys developing fragrances, travelling the world, playing with her two cats, and spending quality time (eating, preferably!) with her family and friends. 

Brian joined camp in 1988 as Camp Director. Brian currently over sees facility development & operations and works closely with the Camp program team. In addition to his CRM responsibilities, Brian has been a standing faculty lecturer at California State University, Long Beach, Department of Recreational and Leisure Services in the fields of outdoor recreation and organized camp management. In addition, Brian currently serves on the National Board of the American Camp Association (ACA), a Standards Visitor for ACA, chair of the National Council of Leaders Steering Committee; is the past-president and a current board member of Children’s Oncology Camp Association International (COCA- I) strengthening over 120 international camps serving over 35,000 pediatric oncology campers and their families. Brian’s passion for research has led to co-authoring papers on the Psychological Impacts of a Camp Experience for Children with Cancer and the Camp Awareness Project, a multi-facility study assessing the value of a camp experience with healthcare professionals and unserved patient families.. Brian is married to wife and best friend, Corrie, has three grown daughters and is known for his love of Diet Coke.